Afghanistan: Three Australian troops killed by 'inside' gunmen

This time around, it was three Australian soldiers killed by gunmen wearing Afghan army uniforms, bringing to 15 the number of coalition troops to die at the hands of uniformed Taliban insurgents.

The Aussies were shot to death in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, according to the NATO-led coalition. The killings are only the latest in a spate of shootings that have strained already shaky relations between Kabul and officials within the coalition, according to a Reuters report.

Australian Defence officials said the soldiers were serving in southern Uruzgan province, home base to about 1,500 Australian troops. Family members in Australia are currently being contacted about the death of their loved ones.

American soldiers make up the majority of 15 such insider killings this month, despite increased security, including orders for coalition troops to carry loaded weapons at all times.

U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey was in Kabul last week talking about the increase in rogue shootings. U.S. President Barack Obama expressed his "deep concern" over the insider attacks.

The uniformed inside killings have been confirmed by Taliban and presented as proof of their ability to infiltrate Afghan security forces. The incidents are especially troubling considering the security transition for pulling out of Afghanistan has been announced and is in progress.

Dempsey urged Afghan officials to do more to prevent the attacks. However, Western commanders have said they have no plans to cut back training and support between NATO-led troops and their Afghan allies.